JJ Watt Announces Retirement With Heartfelt Message To His Son

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JJ Watt is retiring from the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals defensive end shared the announcement via social media with a heartfelt message to his son, Koa.

It turns out that Koa's first-ever NFL game was his father's final NFL home game.

Watt and his wife, professional soccer player Kealia Ohai, welcomed Koa earlier this year.

While Watt's retirement announcement may come as a surprise to some NFL fans, anyone who saw how emotional he was following Arizona's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday likely saw this coming.

Watt had tears in his eyes as he walked off the field on Sunday and seemed to really soak in the moment, which we now know will be his last-ever home game.

Watt will go down as one of the most dominant defensive players of his generation. The former 11th overall pick out of Wisconsin has earned five First-Team All-Pro nominations, five Pro Bowl appearances, and ranks fifth among all active players in total career sacks.

He is also one of only three players to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions. And his charitable work off the field was equally impressive.

The next stop for Watt will include changing a few extra dirty diapers and a trip to Canton when he's inevitably inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.